According to party sources, one of the main reasons for Uttar Pradesh chief minister's confidence is that she distributed tickets on merit basis, reports Onkar Singh
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the only star campaigner for the Bahujan Samaj Party, Mayawati, is confident of returning to power despite the anti-incumbency factor. This is evident from the manner in which she refuses to answer any question related to whether she would continue as chief minister after the state assembly polls.
"Talk to the people who are here in the rally. They will give you an answer," she says, as she snubs media persons, particularly those who have claiming that Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party has an edge over BSP.
However, there is a reason for this confidence. Mayawati's public rallies are huge and people turn out in large numbers to listen to her. They sit for hours to listen to behanji.
Satish Misra, BSP member in the Rajya Sabha, told rediff.com, "We should win the elections comfortably and behanji will rule again. This is the first time she is contesting the assembly polls while she is in power".
According to party sources, one of the main reasons for her confidence is that she distributed tickets on merit basis. There was no one who complained. "To counter the anti-incumbency factor, the chief minister removed 25 ministers from her cabinet on charges of corruption. About 110 sitting MLA's have not been given the party mandate. The party has put up 85 Muslim candidates, 67 Brahmins and 37 Rajput and Thakurs are also amongst those who have been given tickets. The number of Dalits and other castes who are contesting elections for the party is 90," a party coordinator said.
Though some upper caste communities are upset with the kind of treatment given to them by Mayawati, the number of disenchanted leaders if not significant to make her worry about a revolt by the forward community voters. But even if there is a 2 per cent shift, Mayawati is likely to lose 20 odd seats.
Her Dalit vote bank is intact and she hopes to return to power on the strength of the Dalit voters, BSP workers belief.
"Rahul, Sonia, Mulayam and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leadership is no match for behanji and not one of them can match her in administration. The state's law and order situation is by and large under control, there has been no communal violence in five years and swift work on providing better roads for transportation are some of her achievements," a senior journalist who works for a leading daily said.
